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Dianne Wampler  01/09/2007 09:40:43 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Dianne Wampler

Cable 
Text:                                                                      
                                                                           
      
UNCLAS    SENSITIVE     ANKARA 00026

SIPDIS
CX:
    ACTION: PMA
    INFO:   FCS CONS AMB POL DCM DAO RAO ECON TSR PA

DISSEMINATION: PMA /1
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: CDA:NMCELDOWNEY
DRAFTED: PMA:MNARDI
CLEARED: PMA:CSIEBENTRITT ODC:RR

VZCZCAYI672
PP RUEHC RHMFIUU RUEKJCS RHMFIUU RUEUITH RUEKJCS
DE RUEHAK #0026/01 0081527
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081527Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0501
INFO RHMFIUU/USAFE AMOCC RAMSTEIN AB GE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5// PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP:PDUSDP/ISA:EUR/ISA:NESA/DSCA// PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000026 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: 2006 DECA INSPECTION DEMONSTRATES PROGRESS 
ON BOTH US AND TURKISH ISSUES 
 
 
1.(SBU) SUMMARY: The annual Turkish General Staff (TGS) 
inspection of US basing facilities made progress in resolving 
outstanding issues at the 425th Air Base Group (ABG) in Izmir 
and at the 39th Air Base Wing at Incirlik Air Base.  It also 
identified two new issues - the move of the 425th ABG off the 
Bayrakli Compound once its lease ends and the turnover 
agreement for the Yumurtalik Sea Terminal.  In sharp contrast 
to the past few years, TGS set aside time and provided 
experts to discuss specific USG concerns.  It also went to 
great lengths in the closing brief to highlight US 
responsiveness to Turkish concerns.  While some outstanding 
issues, such as the employment of US dependents, were left 
unresolved, others such as the APO system were not raised and 
there appeared to be a concerted effort by TGS to resolve all 
issues amicably. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) As required under the bilateral Defense Economic 
Cooperation Agreement (DECA), TGS J-5 Agreements Division 
Chief MajGen Sefer Ozturk led an inter-agency team of TGS, 
Turkish Air Force, Foreign Ministry, Customs, Labor and 
Environment and Forestry representatives to conduct an 
inspection from December 4-8 of the 425th Air Base Group 
facility at Bayrakli Park and Cigli Air Base in Izmir and the 
39th ABW at Incirlik Air Base outside of Adana. This was 
General Ozturk's third and last DECA inspection before his 
anticipated 2007 retirement.  As he had done during the past 
two years, the General called the visit an opportunity to 
work together to solve basing issues, none of which he viewed 
as significant, and urged a cooperative approach by both 
sides. 
 
EMPHASIZING US CONTRIBUTIONS IN IZMIR 
 
¶3. (SBU) At Cigli Air Base, the 425th ABG provided briefings 
at every facility where the US had made improvements, 
detailing the extensive renovations and upgrades to sole and 
joint-use facilities paid for by the annual $1M Cigli support 
fund that is part of the Cigli Air Base turnover agreement. 
The Turkish delegation appeared impressed by the extensive 
USG contributions and the good working relationship at the 
facility.  They expressed appreciation for the quick US 
action to switch from armed to unarmed roving guards and to 
hire a private Turkish security firm to guard the Bayrakli 
compound entrances, resolving two major issues raised during 
the 2005 inspection. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The 425th ABG, which supports US troops at NATO's 
Component Command (CC) Air Izmir and US military operations 
in Eskisehir, Istanbul and Ankara, is located on a 
privately-leased compound in Bayrakli Park, Izmir.  The 
current lease ends in 2008 and will likely not be renewed. 
The 425th ABG understands that the owner has initiated 
development of land adjacent to the base compound and may 
also wish to develop the land occupied by the base.  In 
anticipation, the 425th has inquired whether a streamlined 
base command could be accommodated on the NATO CC Air Izmir 
compound.  That compound is a secure facility.  Re-location 
there would allow the 425th ABG to reduce its security force 
as well as some administrative staff.  A review is underway. 
 
US CONCERNS AT INCIRLIK TAKEN SERIOUSLY 
 
¶5. (SBU)  The most notable change in the inspection of the 
39th Air Base Wing (ABW) at Incirlik Air Base was TGS 
agreement to devote experts to an in-depth discussion of US 
issues, including requests for: 
 
- Agreement on the list of what constitutes a "Major Item of 
Equipment" with respect to US military imports into Turkey: 
The list has grown from a handful of items to over one 
thousand items in recent years.  TGS agreed to meet with ODC 
in January 2007 to review the list. 
 
- Waivers of customs inspections on Cargo Hub cargo: During 
the April 2005 negotiations on establishing a Cargo Hub at 
Incirlik, TGS made no mention of the requirement for Hub 
cargo to undergo a Customs inspection.  However, subsequent 
to initiation of Hub operations, Customs notified the 39th 
ABW of the inspection requirement and requested US payment of 
overtime fees for one Customs officer to ensure 24-hour 
coverage.  ODC notified the 39th ABW to ask Customs to send 
an official request for payment via an MFA diplomatic note. 
To date, the Embassy has not received such a request.  In 
2006, Customs added a request for US payment of Customs 
official transport to and from the Base.  During the 
inspection, ODC inquired whether such customs inspections for 
unopened cargo are required.  The Customs Ministry official 
stated that Customs does have the authority to check all 
cargo transiting Turkey but that it typically does not 
exercise this authority except in cases of suspicious cargo. 
 
- Approval to bring in replacement parts for cargo hub 
aircraft through the cargo hub: During the inspection, ODC 
requested TGS and Customs approval to utilize the cargo hub 
to bring in replacement parts for aircraft serving the cargo 
hub.  The Customs Ministry official approved the import of 
parts for C-17s  assigned to the Cargo Hub at Incirlik 
together with Hub cargo.  TGS is still staffing this request 
and will likely only allow parts for C-17s to enter Incirlik 
without a Turkish Defense Approval (TDA).  Note:  A TDA is 
required for import and export of equipment and is the 
official document required for the waiver of customs fees. 
 
- Waiver of customs fees on replacement air craft parts for 
non-cargo hub aircraft: In spring 2006, a USG-contracted 
plane broke down at Incirlik.  The contractor sent a 
replacement engine which was held by Customs in Istanbul for 
weeks.  During concerted negotiations by the contractor and 
the Embassy, the engine accrued hundreds of dollars in 
Customs storage fees.  During the inspection this issue was 
raised with the Customs Ministry official, who agreed that 
parts for aircraft approved to use Incirlik Air Base should 
not be subject to customs fees. 
 
- Elimination of the requirement to complete a declaration 
(beyanname) form for the import of certain electronic items 
into Turkey:  According to ODC, Turkey is the only NATO 
country with this requirement.  At the inspections, the 
Customs official said the beyanamme requirement was codified 
in Turkish law.  He added, however, that Turkish law can be 
superseded by international agreements to which Turkey is a 
party.  Customs asked for information on the requirements for 
Italy and Belgium.  If those and other NATO countries do not 
require such a declaration, Turkey will review the NATO SOFA 
and other international agreements for wording that would 
override the Turkish requirement.  ODC will request a letter 
from the NATO Legal Department confirming that no other NATO 
country requires such a declaration. 
 
- Streamlining of the design approval process for 39th ABW 
engineering projects: TGS requires initial and follow-up 
design approval for construction projects at Incirlik.  The 
requirement for multiple reviews is administratively onerous 
and slows down the construction process.  During the 
inspection, ODC requested a single design approval.  TGS 
agreed to meet in 2nd Qtr. 2007 to discuss. 
 
- Elimination of requirement for USG contractors to pay a 
rental fee for space on 39th ABW facilities:  TGS has begun 
to require all USG contractors, from vendors to doctors, to 
pay rent for the space they utilize on the 39th ABW facility. 
 ODC argues that this amounts to a charge on the US 
government as the contractors add this fee to what they bill 
the US.  Following discussion with MajGen Sutton during the 
inspection, MG Ozturk pledged to review the issue to 
determine what, if anything, could be done for different 
categories of contractors. 
 
TURNOVER OF YUMURTALIK SEA PORT 
 
¶6. (SBU) Turnover of the Yumurtalik Sea Port was the most 
significant issue raised during the Incirlik inspection. 
During its inbrief for MG Ozturk at the start of the base 
inspection, the 10th Tanker Base stated that the Yumurtalik 
facility caused serious environmental damaged that must be 
remediated or that steps should be taken to return the area 
to its original state in preparation for possible use as a 
military recreation site.  The US delegation from Ankara was 
uninvited to a planned joint tour of the facility but the 
39th ABW Commander did accompany the Turkish delegation. 
Despite expectations that TGS would request significant USG 
action to remediate the site, only two issues were listed in 
the inspection outbrief: 
 
- Tank Damage: TGS will determine whether the existing 
problems must be repaired or if the facility can be turned 
over "as is." 
 
- Facility Maintenance: TGS requests USG oversight of the 
facility during the interim between the departure of USG 
personnel and the removal of USG equipment and TGS assumption 
of responsibility for the facility following signature of a 
Turnover Agreement. 
 
¶7. (SBU) TGS action to transform the site may be impacted by 
an ongoing lawsuit between the Turkish government and the 
owner of private land immediately adjacent to the facility on 
which the military built a small R&R site and guard quarters 
to provide security to the Yumurtalik facility. 
 
HANGOVER ISSUES 
 
¶8. (SBU) Dependent Hires: The primary outstanding issue from 
2005 was the complaint by the Labor Ministry that the 39th 
ABW does not provide a list of specific jobs for which it 
would like to hire US dependents and is not applying for work 
permits for US dependent hires in accordance with Turkish 
law.  At the 2005 DECA, ODC offered to meet to discuss this 
issue but the MFA notified the Embassy that the Turkish side 
could not come to an agreed-upon position and therefore 
preferred not to meet.  At the 2006 inspection, the Turkish 
delegation reiterated a request for this information for the 
record but did not press the issue. 
 
¶9. (SBU) APO Agreement: As in 2005, the Turkish side did not 
raise the lack of an APO agreement.  Following the 2004 DECA 
inspection when this issue was discussed in detail, we 
provided TGS and the MFA with copies of APO agreements we 
have with several western European countries for 
consideration as a model for a US/TU agreement.  The Turkish 
side has not yet responded.  As with the dependent hire 
issue, the MFA stated that it has not been able to get all 
affected agencies to agree on a common position. 
 
THE NON-DECA ISSUE THAT STOLE THE SHOW 
 
¶10. (SBU) Chapels located on the Bayrakli compound in Izmir 
and on the 39th ABW at Incirlik displayed a National 
Geographic historical maps of the Holy Land which contain an 
area labeled "Kurdistan."  During the Bayrakli tour, a member 
of the Turkish delegation complained about the map and it was 
immediately removed.  Tipped off that a similar map was hung 
in the Incirlik chapel, the Turkish delegation requested a 
tour of that chapel, but did not reveal that they were 
looking for a map.  Once they found it hanging in the office 
suite, they complained about the use of such a map in a 
facility located on a Turkish military base.  The Chaplain 
immediately removed the map.  Rather than resolving the 
issue, however, the map's removal raised suspicions among the 
Turkish delegation that the US would take the map down only 
for the duration of the inspection, or worse, was hiding it 
so that no one else would complain, and then would hang it up 
once the TGS and MFA inspectors returned to Ankara. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Upon learning of the rationale behind the request 
to tour the Incirlik chapel, the US delegation emphasized 
that the map is not a DECA issue and should not be reflected 
in the inspection summary, noted our receptivity to an open 
discussion with our counterparts on the issue and urged TGS 
to be forthright with the US about such concerns in the 
future.  TGS did not include the map issue in its own summary 
of DECA issues. 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
MCELDOWNEY